No Place But Home
by OniHime
Summary: A month has passed since Haruko has left. Naota doesn't do anything anymore. A girl sits across the street, playing with her guitar. She stares at Naota, interested.
1. Chapter 1

No Place But Home  
  
Chapter 1  
  
After Haruko set out, I didn't know what to do.  
  
A month later, a yellow Vespa appeared at the doorstep.  
  
It had a note in Haruko's handwriting on it. "Keep it, I don't need it anymore." Is that true? Is that how she feels? About me as well? That she doesn't need me?  
  
So every day since she left, I haven't done anything. I've went to and from school on that Vespa, never giving anyone a ride home when they asked, sometimes taking detours that would take me hours to find my way home. I would speed up, but time seemed to slow down.  
  
"Naota, Naota." My teacher would call upon me to answer a question. I would just sit there, in my seat, staring at her face, wondering "Why, Haruko, why. This time you said goodbye, with different words than I expected." Those words hurt. I felt like a broken toy being tossed aside for a new one, and I still do. I wonder. can that Vespa fly?  
  
A girl sat across the street, staring at me. She wore a Barrage jacket, short, white course fur around the neck and at the hands. The rest was either black or dark gray. She looked at me with interest, chewing on her candy cig, guitar case open on the ground in front of her, playing a small tune.  
  
I stared back into her face. Very pale. Her eyes were cat-like, like Haruko's. Dark red hair, almost the color of dried blood, gleamed from the afternoon sun.  
  
A whisper left my mouth. "Who are you?" Her lips moved. I turned to leave, but something whispered in my ear. "I am special."  
  
She was there the next day, climbing the alphabet, and the next day, singing songs woven with jokes that made the kids laugh.  
  
It was my birthday. I left for school. She wasn't at the street corner anymore. Good!  
  
My slow progress on the yellow Vespa disturbed some leaves on the sidewalk. As I left that area, more crinkling followed behind me. My head turned, and a figure slunk back into the shadows. Must be Canti.  
  
I made it to school, though the Spiderman senses hadn't worn off.  
  
I was on my way home that same day. There were many people coming or going home, so I slowed down. People looked at me, and whispering "oi, is that the young man that works at the bakery? The one down the street with the girl on the doorstep?" Girl. on the doorstep? Could it be. could it really be  
  
My heart leapt, and I sped up, running over the man that was whispering. I ran over many people on my way to the bakery. I was still far away from home, but I couldn't help but cry out "Haruko. I'm coming!! Don't go anywhere, I'm coming!!"  
  
When I got there though, it was too late. She had left and replaced herself with the girl on the corner. Her hair fell over her face. She slept on the doormat, curled up like a cat.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
And so, my first story posted. It's not much, but hopefully there'll be more.  
  
~OniHime 


	2. Chapter 2

No Place But Home  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Iso. that's what we called her.  
  
The girl with the jacket across the street. the girl that laid on the bread shops doorstep. the girl that my father had fallen over when he came out.  
  
He said we needed another maid. Oddly enough, Ojiisan agreed.  
  
Within less than a week, she had become the idle in my father's eyes, as well as my grandfathers. She wasn't like Haruko though. She didn't tease anyone with the thought of showing some leg. She was more the silent type, trying to fit in and acting goofy from time to time, always offering me one of her candy cigarettes.  
  
She had shown up on my birthday without a name. I had a lizard once. everyone called him T Bone, but I always thought he was a female, so I would call her Iso. Maybe that's what led me to call her that.  
  
She would always sit on the top bunk, plucking her guitar strings, humming something.  
  
"What are you doing up there?" I asked one time after she gave me a fright.  
  
"Fixing it."  
  
"Fixing what? Your guitar?" I sat in my computer chair.  
  
"Yeah. Niya? What's this?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Oh, nothing."  
  
Ojiisan came in. He carried a big package.  
  
"Iisan, you have a package."  
  
"Oh, cool, it's here. Finally-" She jumped off the bed with the grace of a cat. Her feline-like eyes sparkled, and Ojiisan shut the door.  
  
I leaned over. "What is it?"  
  
The red head ripped the package open, and threw the Styrofoam confetti all over the room. And out she pulled a.  
  
"BaZooKa!" she said, pronouncing each letter louder than the last. She pointed it at me. "Aflack!"  
  
I screamed. "Don't point that thing at me!" and I threw myself on the floor.  
  
"Don't worry," she said, patting her new toy fondly. "It's not loaded. Not yet." She rewrapped it with the torn paper it had come it. "The real ammo will be here within a month. But don't worry little one. I'll protect you!" And she cackled insanely. kind of like. Haruko?  
  
That night, she told me something. I never thought I'd understand it.  
  
Never look away from what's in front of you, Skywalker  
  
For it's all around you and you can't escape the footprints you've lain behind you or the ones you are destined to make. Remember and heed these words, Skywalker.  
  
She called me Skywalker.  
  
She may have just been using that name just for fun. but.  
  
My mom was an old fashion Star Wars fan. She had even given me a toy light saber when I was really young. It's still around, probably in the bowels of my closet.  
  
I went to school riding the Vespa again. She had polished it. I don't want her touching it.  
  
My mom.. Now that I think of her, I remember more of her silly antics, but more of her yelling, and my dad shouting while she held me. A bit like Haruko, while Iso was also the same. But their eyes. all of them. Mother, Haruko, and Iso. they all had the same eyes. Each were different and similar in the basics.  
  
Weeks later, when I entered the bakery, boxes, everywhere. Boxes of all different sizes. And crates. In a big circle, while in the middle, sat Iso, talking with another. No, two, wait, more.  
  
Different voices. Mostly male voices. I scratched behind my left ear, where another horn had sprouted. The bandages curled under my fingernails.  
  
Head count: four, including Iso.  
  
"They call ya what?"  
  
"Iso. Why? What's so wrong with that?"  
  
"Because it means. Ouch. What? What did I do, huh Kouno?"  
  
"Urusai yo! We all know what an iso is. What's wrong with calling her Iso?" The white haired boy tightened his grip on his laptop. Ember eyes flashed my way. "Oni. I mean 'Iso', I think your friend is back."  
  
He jammed his thumb in my direction, and two other boys, one wearing a red shirt with golden lettering on it and a crown, with "King Me" on it, bluish gray baggy pants, and the other quit shorter than I, wearing a dark purple gray kimono top with black pants. The taller and older one had spiky brown hair, while the shorter one had black, mild hair, though his bangs were more eccentric.  
  
They all looked at me for a while, studying me. Finally, Iso, or Oni- whatever, said, "Hey! Wazzup Naota. Wanna meet ma' friends?"  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
And so the second chapter. I still don't know about the theme though. You guys are surely FLCL fans, but I don't know about DGM (digimon) fans. Please tell me if you are. If not, a change of plans I guess.  
  
Anyway, thank you for your reviews. I was really bored, but then I wrote this after I read them. So to you who reviewed I say 'domo arigato gozaimasu!' This chapter was a bit off, random wise. I hope I didn't disappoint you guys. Cheers.  
  
~OniHime 


	3. Chapter 3

No Place But Home  
  
Chapter 3  
  
They all stood before me, including Iso.  
  
Why? I thought. Why did they have to tie me up? I wasn't going to do anything. I squirmed. Iso laughed.  
  
"Gomen. I, erm, they, we thought you might try to run away."  
  
"Or something," murmured the young boy.  
  
"Eeto. anyway, you guys should introduce yourselves to Naota here. Then we'll take the ropes off."  
  
The red shirted boy laughed nervously, scratching his head. "Ano, watashi wa Dart desu. Blood type: A; Birthday: May 13. Douzo yoroshiku.*" He bowed.  
  
(*Um, I am Dart. ~ It's nice to meet you.)  
  
Dart jammed his thumb toward the little boy with outlandish hair. "Kochira wa Nimotsu-san desu, soshite Kouno-san desu.*" They both bowed in return. I tried to do so as well, to show some respect as to make them untie me, but all I could do was nod.  
  
(*This is Nimotsu and Kouno.)  
  
Iso laughed as I almost fell over. "You okay?"  
  
I screwed up my eyes. I had forgotten they had also gagged me for some reason or another. I had tried to say no. Simply no. But noooo. I had to get cotton in my mouth.  
  
The others ignored this. The small one stepped out. "Please forgive us for tying you up." I tried to say it was okay. More cotton.  
  
Dart came behind me. Something clicked, then the ropes slid off me. They were cut cleanly, but the tall, black-haired youth held no knife. I pulled off the gag myself.  
  
Nimotsu bowed again to apologize, then stepped back into line.  
  
"What was with that?" I yelled.  
  
Iso waved a hand aside. "Just something we wanted to try for once."  
  
Kouno snorted. "When one talks about ones self, one does not say 'we'." The small one have a giggle, and Dart gave a little 'riiight'.  
  
"Well, we best be going."  
  
"Where? What? You people just come in here, tie me up, untie me, introduce yourselves, then go. What the hell's going on here?"  
  
"Oh," said Iso. "OOOH! Well, when I said we, I meant all of us, including you. Perhaps you would like the ropes again."  
  
Dart leaned over. "He doesn't know what's going on, man. Didn't you tell him?"  
  
"Tell. him?" She laughed nervously, stepping back. "Tell him? I, um, kinda. well, you know, uh.forgot."  
  
"Like always." Kouno shook his head while a smile was glued to his face.  
  
"Um, well you see." She twiddled her fingers. "This world. no, this dimension is going to be, well, invaded."  
  
"Invaded? By who?"  
  
"Well, there are these things called Virus's. Have you ever heard of Digimon? Yeah, the anime. Well, they too are made from data. More or less, there's a dimension. Yeah, just like the digital world. The surrounding environment there is considered data, while there are being, separated into two categories. One are the Virus's, the other are the Vaccine's. Simple enough? Well, Virus's and Vaccine's are simple-minded programs that follow simple orders. Virus's are digital creatures that carry virus's themselves. The make other digital beings into Virus's by spreading the virus they were originally infected with. It's like, if a weak Vaccine, whom is called such because it destroys Virus's and their illness, is bitten, scratched, or otherwise infected with a strong Virus's virus, they become a Virus themselves. The only thing is, this has been going on since the beginning of time, and it's now they've found way of traveling to other worlds. It wouldn't be such a big deal if they simply tried to infect other digital being, but as it is, the virus also infects human, and other 'fleshy' creatures as well. So yeah. Any questions?"  
  
Okay. That's weird. "Invaded by digital beings from other dimensions." Yeah right.  
  
"If you don't believe us, we might as well tie you up again, because you're coming with us. to vanquish them!"  
  
"Okay. Let's say I do believe you. Why do you need me? You guys have all you need right here." I pointed to all the crates around us.  
  
Kouno nodded. "Um, yeah. Why did you get all this stuff, Onihime?"  
  
"Onihime." I turned to Iso, or the person I had thought was Iso. "Is that your real name, Onihime?"  
  
She looked at me, and smiled. Her teeth. "Yeah," her teeth, "my name is Onihime," her fangs, "the Virus."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
This chapter is screwed up. I'll really try not to screw up the next one. Now that one of the themes is presented, I'll probably be a lot easier to write. Kingdom Hearts. Yeah, I know. But this isn't KH. It's something more. Something better. My Precious. More disappointments, I know. I'm not very good at this. I had the whole random story that was still good going, then I turn into this. Gomen mina. Sayoonara.  
  
~OniHime 


End file.
